Easter Poem

This is an Easter poem my mother wrote to her mother in 1944, at the height of WWII, while my mother was doing her part for the war effort in Warner Robbins, GA.

"The Easter Poem" 
by Grace (Hanson) Avery

Dear Mother,

If spring comes home and I'm not there
to greet its sweet repose,
To walk among the buttercups and scold
the stinging rose;

If I'm not there when the violets bloom
and the peach trees blossom pink,
And the countryside is gay again
with the song of the bob-o-link;

If I'm not there when the earth turns green
and the sun shines every day,
Just remember that world still belongs to me-
please keep it while I'm away.

You see, I've a little job to do
that cannot go undone;
Of course it's quite a task at hand
but the battle must be won..

So, if I'm not home at Easter Time,
as I would like to be,
tell all my friends I'm coming home
but not to wait for me.

Don't wait for me because I fear;
that I may be delayed;
I may miss Spring a month or so
and I can't come home to stay.

But oh! If Spring’s a little late this year
and time goes slowly by,
If the woodlands linger lifeless as tho'
waiting for my sigh,
If the trees sing out and cry for me
as I have cried for them,
Then I'll know within my lonely heart
my Kingdom has grown dim.

And I'll lay aside my arms of war for just
a little while,
'til my creator guides me to a place
where I can smile.
I cannot stay forever in a place
I don't belong;
So I'll take a short vacation and,
Dear Mother, I'll come home!
Copyright © | Year Posted 2022


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Date: 8/6/2025 8:58:00 PM
A deeply touching and beautifully crafted piece. It carries the ache of absence and the hope of return so tenderly. The voice feels both personal and universal—thank you for sharing this moving Easter reflection.
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Avery Avatar
Jb Avery
Date: 8/7/2025 5:45:00 AM
Thank you so much, Rowena.
Date: 9/22/2022 3:29:00 PM
JB, can't believe that I am just seeing this but this is gloriously beautiful!! So sweet and evocative of the many sacrifices made at that time of patriotism!! Just lovely!!
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Avery Avatar
Jb Avery
Date: 12/16/2022 6:34:00 AM
She was a writer and poet, something that came so naturally for her as it does for you.
Date: 6/17/2022 2:24:00 AM
Beautiful write indeed
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Avery Avatar
Jb Avery
Date: 12/16/2022 6:34:00 AM
Thank you.
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